Chapter 10: Brother and sister

Thanh Phong talked with Thang Vu for about twenty minutes when Thanh Tra called to ask him to come to pick her up.

Although no one told anyone, both men simultaneously shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads because they understood the nature of that lunch.

- Remember to come to my birthday party. It's about a month away. I have already invited you. If you say busy on that day, I will be angry with you. - Thanh Phong winked, spoke, and stood up.

- I know, Nha Tien has also reminded me. It's your birthday, but she remembers it very well.

Thang Vu replied and followed in his friend's footsteps.

Nha Tien was close with Thang Vu and Thang Vu was close with Thanh Phong and they share the same roof as the Academy of Music, so people often say that they are a trio when walking side by side.

When the two men walked down to the living room and saw Thi San in the front yard pruning leaves for the potted plants, both of them stood still and stared at her for a few seconds.

A little pity suddenly filled Thang Vu's heart. From this angle, he felt the girl was lonely. Her family had fewer people than his family, only her in this world.

A slight cough from inside the house made Thi San hastily let go of the scissors in her hand, then she got up and ran to the white stone table to get the key because she knew the guest was about to leave.

Five minutes ago, when she finished washing the dishes, she intended to go up to her room to lie down for a bit to straighten her back, but because Thanh Phong hadn't left yet, she went to the yard to prune trees. She wanted to wait until he left so that she could open the gate because she was afraid that Thang Vu would waste his breath and waste time calling her name.

The car slowly left the garage, and when it approached the gate, it stopped.

Thang Vu got out of the car, slammed the door, and waved goodbye.

The position that Thang Vu was standing next to Thi San made Thanh Phong a little jealous. They didn't look like the master and the servant, but they were like a young couple seeing off guests.

- Goodbye, Thi San, see you soon, thank you for lunch. – Thanh Phong lowered the car window, poked his head out, and smiled at the girl.

- Yes, goodbye, but that meal belongs to Mr. Thang Vu. - She hesitated to answer.

- But you cooked all the dishes. Okay, I'm leaving, goodbye.

Thanh Phong nodded once more, then pulled up the car window and pressed the accelerator, crossing the gate.

In just a few seconds, the shiny black car was far away at the end of the road.

At this moment, Thi San suddenly discovered that she was standing very close to Thang Vu, so close that the sleeve of his shirt touched her skin.

Thi San hurriedly walked to the gate and locked it. She deliberately groped for a long time because she wanted to let him enter the house first.

However, the plan failed. He did not return to the house as she expected but also rushed to her side because he thought she could not lock it.

Thi San hastily pulled out the key because she suddenly saw Thang Vu's soft hand reaching out and she was lucky to avoid his touch.

Fear filled her heart. She wondered if that gentle, scholarly exterior could harbor a bad boy.

Why did she feel he was trying to be intimate with her?

However, after she thought about it again, she realized that her thinking was so wrong. A person of his status, there would be beautiful and rich girls waiting in line for him to look at them. He was not so deprived that he had to think about a country girl like her. Probably because she was too sensitive.

- I... I continue to prune trees.

She stammered and ran to the potted plant while his hand was still outstretched in the air.

She didn't know that the more she avoided him, the more she aroused intense emotions in the heart of a man who had just fallen in love for the first time.

He liked her confused expression. He felt her so cute.

Thang Vu was planning to step forward to tease Thi San a little more, but because he saw how pitiful she was, he stopped and just stood still to look at the small back for a long time and then walked into the house.

There was still plenty of time and she was here for a long time, so he shouldn't be in a hurry to show his feelings to avoid scaring her.

When Thi San was sure that Thang Vu was gone, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly she remembered when she and Thanh Phong were busy in the kitchen and her lips lightly smiled because he had praised her cooking skills.

At this moment, on the empty road, the car driven by Thanh Phong sped up and ran straight towards Ngoc Ha restaurant. His face showed a thoughtful expression.

The car was still far away when Thanh Phong saw Thanh Tra standing and talking with a hot-looking girl.

He drove to park next to them and honked the car horn, but he did not roll down the car window to say hello even though the sexy girl waved her hands and feet repeatedly.

- Goodbye, I'm leaving. He still has work to do. Mina, say goodbye to her, baby.

Thanh Tra quickly gave an excuse and grabbed the baby's hand and shook it a few times and then carried Mina into the car because the baby's small mouth was holding a big candy, so it was difficult to say goodbye.

- Is it so difficult to greet her with just one question? You're the deputy head of the foreign affairs department. – Thanh Tra crossed her arms and raised her voice to express anger.

- Yeah, it's very difficult. For you to give up the habit of going to spin the pink string. - Thanh Phong calmly answered.

- Okay, I promise you this is the last time, from now on, I don't care about you anymore. If it weren't for my mother asking me to help you, I wouldn't have wasted my time.

Thanh Phong glanced in the rearview mirror and he saw his sister's sulky lips curled up. That sickle-like mouth made him chuckle inside.

Everyone praised Thanh Tra for having attractive lips, but he did not find his sister attractive anywhere. Except for school time, she always liked to wear bold lipstick and draw dark eyebrows.

She wasn't like that before, but after she gave birth, she suddenly changed her style, adding that the maid was taking a makeup course, so his sister freely asked her to draw.

When the car arrived at the villa gate, Thanh Phong quickly got out of the car and rang the bell, then he got back in the car. A few minutes later, Ngoc Vy appeared.

As soon as Mina saw the maid standing by the open gate, the little girl immediately jumped for joy.

- This howling bird is so obnoxious. She's never happy to see me, but she's always happy to meet strangers.

Thanh Phong sighed while reaching for the gift bag that Thang Vu gave to the two of them and threw it in the back seat.

Thanh Tra didn't mind his grumbling because she was so familiar, she just attentively opened the gift to see. The baby also leaned over to her mother to claim the share.

Thanh Tra and Thanh Phong just got out of the car when Mina waved her hand to the maid, and the baby's mouth kept calling Ngoc Vy's name, so Thanh Tra had to hurry to move forward to shorten the distance.

- As soon as she saw you, she was as happy as if she had caught gold.

After Thanh Tra finished speaking, she handed her child over to Ngoc Vy, then she kissed Mina lightly on the cheek and carried the gift into the house.

Ngoc Vy's glittering but deep eyes that always contain sadness immediately followed that slender back and then stopped on the pure white shirt of the man who was also walking towards the main door.

- Have you had lunch yet? – Ngoc Vy asked affectionately.

Mina nodded softly and then buried her face in Ngoc Vy's neck and asked Ngoc Vy to lull her to sleep.

Thanh Tra gave birth to a child when she just entered the university gate. When Mina was one-year-old, she continued to pick up books to go to the university, so taking care of Mina was assigned to Ngoc Vy, and only when the night came, the baby could sleep with her mother.

Ngoc Vy herself used to take care of her uncle's children, so she has a lot of experience in this.

The times she was beaten by her uncle because she was careless and caused them to fall had never faded from her memory. She didn't know if she should thank her uncle and aunt. Perhaps those sufferings helped her to take care of Mina carefully and be beloved by the baby.

Ngoc Vy put Mina in the crib and she gently sang a lullaby.

The girl's lips sang a sad song that evoked the image of a country girl who got married when she was young, holding a baby swinging in a hammock behind the village's bamboo ramparts.

After Ngoc Vy coaxed Mina to sleep, she quickly made tea and brought it upstairs to Thanh Phong.

If he went out, she didn't have to do this, but if he was at home, he would have a habit of sipping a cup of hot royal tea and playing some music at two o'clock in the afternoon.

- Oh, a violin. Brother, your hobby makes other people spend a lot of money when they want to give you gifts.

Thanh Tra reached out to stroke the violin that her brother had just taken out of the box and whispered.

Thanh Phong didn't answer. He gently put the violin on his shoulder and tried it out.

The wonderful melody of the song "Song From A Secret Garden" brought the souls of both girls temporarily out of the hustle and bustle of the city to fly back to the immense forest, filled with trees, flowers, and leaves in the sparkling sun.

Ngoc Vy felt extremely relaxed and peaceful.

It will not be an exaggeration to say that the violin is the fastest emotional communication instrument, more than the piano. Through solo, the artist can send all his thoughts and feelings to the listener.

Outside the room, Ngoc Vy dreamily looked at the man who was drunk with the noble violin that she always thought could only belong to the elite. He looked very different from the calm and mature look that he usually showed in front of her. When he played the piano and violin, he exuded an irresistible romance.

The first time she witnessed Thanh Phong drop his soul on the piano keys and seem to forget everything around him, she fell in love with him from that moment.

Although she told herself many times that she should know her inferior status, why couldn't she make her heart stop dreaming about him?

- Great, brother, if you join the contest with Mr. Thang Vu, you will win the first prize in the violin category. What a pity. Why are you like that? – Thanh Tra clapped and praised him and then she reprimanded him.

- That's what I am, don't you know?

Thanh Phong said while slowly putting the violin in the box and carefully storing it.

He treasured the violin and cherished the person who gave it to him. Their heart was what he needed. He came to this classical academic music, not for fame or money but just because he was passionate, and that passion helped him to have enough money to cover his daily life. He didn't ask for anything luxurious because he was the son of the director of the Department of Culture, sports, and Tourism, so he was already very luxurious.

- Oh, Miss Ngoc Vy brought tea for you. Enjoy your tea. I'll go down to see Mina for a bit. – Thanh Tra said when she saw Ngoc Vy just entered.

- Here's your tea.

Ngoc Vy spoke softly and placed a cup of hot tea on the table and then walked out of the room, her face a little sad.

She and Thanh Phong have lived together in the house for a long time, but she couldn't talk normally and for longer than a few sentences with him.

Unlike Thanh Tra, who has Mina, Thanh Phong has nothing to discuss with Ngoc Vy. His life from work to entertainment revolves around music and musical instruments, but she is not knowledgeable about them to discuss and ask him.